New hospital wing to bring CT scans, renal dialysis closer to home

Community leaders will gather at the site today to turn the first sod, after several years campaigning for the improvements.

Bowen Hospital will be upgraded with a new $7m wing incorporating CT scanning and renal dialysis equipment.

The communities of Bowen and Collinsville can look forward to accessing vital healthcare services such as CT scans and renal dialysis closer to home next year, as construction on a new $7m hospital wing kicks off.

The new Bowen Hospital facilities are expected to benefit 800 patients a year who will no longer need to travel to other locations, such as Townsville, Mackay or Proserpine, to access the services.

The Bowen Chamber of Commerce has been lobbying for the installation of the scanner to help avoid the necessity for patients to travel to other centres for medical assessment.

Dawson MP George Christensen, who will attend a sod turn to mark the start of construction today, paid tribute to Bowen Chamber of Commerce president Bruce Hedditch, and other community leaders who made it happen.

“It is a great pleasure to see work begin on a new medical wing to house a CT Scanner and more dialysis services, and I want to acknowledge the efforts of the people of Bowen who fought for this outcome,” Mr Christensen said.

Mr Hedditch, who is a member of the Bowen Hospital Community Reference Group, raised the need for a CT Scanner “repeatedly”, Mr Christensen said.

“And after speaking with Mackay Health and Hospital Service, you could see this made a lot of sense,” he said.

“When people in the Bowen/Collinsville region needed a CT scan for cancer, stroke or heart conditions they would either be put in an ambulance and transported an hour or two either north or south, or have to drive there themselves.

“When people are very unwell, that is the last thing they need, and there are considerable costs in both time and money to undertake that transport.”

Mr Christensen lobbied Health Minister Greg Hunt to secure a $5m federal government funding commitment for the CT Scanner in early 2019.

Further planning and some additional funds mean that the Bowen community can now look forward to a $7m medical imaging wing, and an expanded renal dialysis service.

In making the funding announcement on March 21, 2019, Minister Hunt noted:

“Facilities such as this should always be covered by State Government, but due to the strong representation by the Member for Dawson, George Christensen, I am happy to get the ball rolling on the provision of this health service,” Mr Hunt said.